[chase_nt]

After spending 2 years and 2 months in my garage, the time has come for me to say sayonara to the Abarth Punto. My decision to sell the car was totally sporadic. I decided that having used the car for two years and the car actually being a 2015 model this was the right time to see if I can get a decent price before I’d end up with a greater depreciation hit as it gets older. I had a certain price in my mind and I was only fishing for offers from buyers when I put my ad for the sale of my vehicle on olx which is why I didn’t even bother putting my ad on team bhp until much later. Most of the blind quotes that I got on olx were in the 6-6.5 lakh range and that includes quotes from some enthusiasts who follow my thread on team bhp but were not team bhp members. Since my car is pristinely maintained and has low kilometers I was not prepared to sell it anywhere in the 6 lakh range no matter what the buyers say about resale value of Fiats etc. I made up my mind that unless I get a price above the Rs 7 lakh mark there was no need for me to part with my Abarth. About 10 days into my ad on olx I was approached by an enthusiast from Vijayawada who was really interested in owning a Abarth Punto and as things went he came to Visakhapatnam to check out my car, test drive it and have it inspected by the Fiat service station in town. Once we agreed on the right price I decided to sell my Abarth to him. He was the only person to see my car in the flesh and as things go with any car that I own, the first person to see my car ends up purchasing it. I ended up getting 7.05 lakhs for my car and though I would’ve been happier if I could’ve got around 7.3-7.5 lakhs for it, I’ve gotta take into account the fact that it’s a Fiat and it’s only a enthusiasts car. There may be people who want to purchase a well maintained sparingly run car like mine for around 7.5 lakhs outside the now bifurcated state of AP where you can find more enthusiasts however hassles such as paying the road tax component all over again while re-registering the car in their state deters them. Now that the car is sold and has left my garage I would like to conclude my thread with some thoughts about the Abarth Punto over the last two years of my ownership.


Final Odometer Reading



Let’s start with the bad aspects of the Abarth Punto first. If you are planning on purchasing the Abarth Punto you need to be aware that this car is made for highways and ghats. If you drive primarily within the city then you will be disappointed. You will only be able to appreciate the car when you find a gap big enough on city roads to let all those 145 horses loose. Such instances are pretty rare considering our traffic. Out of the 26 months that I’ve owned this car I’ve ended up driving the car on the highway two times and on the ghats just twice. If you are someone like me, then you are not doing any justice by owing this car. When I purchased this car I switched from the 105 bhp GT TSI which was amazing on city roads and equally competent on the highway. I expected a 145 bhp hatch with 212 nm of torque to be a monster to drive in the city because the GT TSI with much lower power and torque rating was doing that and that too with an automatic transmission (remember that I purchased the Abarth Punto without a test drive as there was no test drive vehicle). Alas I was wrong as I had to work the gear box as though I was working through the gears of my 47 bhp Alto that I once owned. This was a real shocker for me. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect a car with such raw power to require so many gear shifts in the slow moving traffic that we encounter on city roads. There are instances where in you encounter a speed breaker, are in second gear around 5-10 km/hr after crossing the speed hump and when you floor the throttle it takes ages for the car to move and sometimes it even stalls. I feel that there are three issues at work here and the combination of these factors makes the Abarth Punto a pain to drive on city roads. The first issue which is a major drawback is that the gear box is just a copy paste job from the regular Punto and should never have found its place in the Abarth Punto especially when the international Abarth Punto had a 6 speed gear box. The honchos at Fiat should have given us this 6 speed gear box even though it could’ve bumped up the price of the car by 50 grand or more. The Abarth Punto was launched for the enthusiast and not for the masses so they should’ve just gone the whole hog and charged us extra instead of giving us something half baked. The second issue that contributes to the cars lethargy in the city traffic I feel is the turbo that spools at 2000 rpm which is too high in my humble opinion. Had the turbo come into play at around 1500 rpm it would’ve improved city drivability by leaps and bounds. The final issue is the weight that this car lugs around. At 1200 kilos it’s a pretty heavy hatchback and if only the car were about 100 kilos lighter it would’ve made a lot of difference. There’s a minor issue of the heavy steering that contributes to the lower city friendliness of the vehicle however this can also be a boon considering the better handling that it offers on winding roads.





Now let me talk to you about what I like in the Abarth Punto:-

1. 0-100 sprint from standstill: Launching the car from standstill and seeing 100 come up in under 9 seconds is a thrill that you can never get bored of. The Abarth Punto just decimates 95% of the cars you come across on our roads in a sprint from standstill. Its pure unadulterated fun to launch a 145 bhp car with a manual transmission and this is something that I never shied away from whenever I got the opportunity.

2. Torque steer and Wheel spin: This is the first car that I owned where in I experienced the phenomena of torque steer and while some people hate torque steer, I just lapped it up. Launching this car from standstill produces copious amounts of torque steer in first and second gears. I never found the torque steer unnerving and I felt that controlling the car with such torque steer just adds to the fun factor of driving the Abarth Punto. Wheel spin is also present in first gear upon hard acceleration which personally is a lot of fun to deal with but could be unnerving to bystanders on a road who just have no clue as to what’s happening. I used to enjoy exiting a tight corner fast while in second gear and flooring the accelerator at the right time to have my front wheels spinning all the way to the red line (I do this on isolated roads where there is no traffic). This is where having a manual transmission mated to a powerful car is just totally rewarding.


3. Handling: This car is just what the doctor ordered if you have an itch to drive on ghat roads. In the 2+ years of ownership I’ve been to the ghats just twice with my Abarth Punto but I will never forget driving the Abarth Punto on the ghats in my lifetime. The suspension and steering are in total sync when it comes to twisting/winding roads. In fact I felt as though I should move to a hamlet in the ghats just so I can drive the car more regularly along the ghats, need I say more?

4. Brakes: There are cars such as the GT twins that are good however the brakes of such cars do not inspire confidence. With great power comes the need to stop at a moment’s notice and as a spirited and aggressive driver, the Abarth’s brakes were a perfect foil for all that power under the hood and not once did I end up getting into a sticky situation despite pushing the car to its limits. The brakes are not spongy and at the same time they are not overly assisted, they were just right and had the perfect balance.





In conclusion, I really wish I could keep this car and to tell you the truth this might end up as THE most powerful car that I’ve ever owned however I know from experience that the Abarth Punto is just not meant to be driven in the city. Its home is on the open tarmac where it would be unfettered by traffic or in the hills where it would be sprinting as though it were on rails. I’m gonna miss this car but it’s time to move on.


Bidding Goodbye

[dhruvritzed]

Which car are you upgrading to?
Already delivered?

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by dhruvritzed

Which car are you upgrading to?Already delivered?

I am going back to a car that i enjoyed the most which is the VW GT TSI. My new GT TSI will be arriving sometime next week. I would've loved to move to a GTI however at Rs 24 lakhs (on road) in my city its too steeply priced. The VW dealer out here is not prepared to offer any discount on the GTI unlike the great deals that were offered by several dealerships in other states around 5 months back. Besides, spending 24 big ones on a car for someone like me who switches cars very often is not a very wise decision

[dhruvritzed]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

I am going back to a car that i enjoyed the most which is the VW GT TSI. My new GT TSI will be arriving sometime next week. I would've loved to move to a GTI however at Rs 24 lakhs (on road) in my city its too steeply priced. The VW dealer out here is not prepared to offer any discount on the GTI unlike the great deals that were offered by several dealerships in other states around 5 months back. Besides, spending 24 big ones on a car for someone like me who switches cars very often is not a very wise decision

Congratulations on the new car, which colour did you choose and what was the deal you got?
Being a GT Tsi owner, I realise its replacement is very hard to find.

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by dhruvritzed

Congratulations on the new car, which colour did you choose and what was the deal you got?

Thanks. When i comes to cars my favorite color is red so i opted for a Flash Red GT TSI. The car worked out to be Rs 10.65 lakhs (on road). I got a 10k cash discount on the ex showroom price, freebies such as floor mats, mud flaps and car cover. I was also able to get a decent deal on insurance from the dealer. The showroom in town has a tie up with Bharti Axa insurance (they do not have a tie up with any other insurance company) for cashless claims and i was able to get zero depreciation insurance on the entire ex showroom price of the car along with engine/gear box protection as well as consumables add on covers for Rs 33,500.

[Turboaddict]

Hi guys,
This is my first post in teambhp and I have been following this thread since quite some time now. I have not been a big fan of cars since I have been riding superbikes for a few years and found no car to be exciting enough. I was closely following the abarth because of the powerdrift review and thought this might actually be the car for me. Finally yesterday I took a test drive at kht prime and was blown away by the combination of its mammoth burst of torque and power + the practicality as a daily driver. I had taken my colleague along with me for the test drive and we immediately decided to book 2 abarths. Also the dealer offering a massive discount and assured 2018 model from the factory inventory.
I just have one question in my mind right now - suppose fiat decides to shut down operations in India, how to we keep the car running? Are there any alternatives for spares and service?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Turboaddict

I just have one question in my mind right now - suppose fiat decides to shut down operations in India, how to we keep the car running? Are there any alternatives for spares and service?

They can't just pack up and leave because that would affect the Jeep brand horribly - and their future depends on Jeep.

So even if they stop operations - I expect the service centers to have the spares available for the medium term atleast.

[Turboaddict]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

They can't just pack up and leave because that would affect the Jeep brand horribly - and their future depends on Jeep.

So even if they stop operations - I expect the service centers to have the spares available for the medium term atleast.

What is the medium term in number of years? Is there an agreement done by the company with the govt specifying the number of years they will support the existing customers?

[Turboaddict]

One more thing i noticed in Abarth is that the car is wasting so much of its power in spinning the wheels on 1st 2nd and 3rd gears. Later i checked the tyres and they were literally bald. The Linea tjet meanwhile had brand new tyres and it had no such problem and acceleration was more like a punch in the face.
Does the abarth keep wasting its power even on new tyres? Do we need to upsize immediately to utilize the power efficiently?

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Turboaddict

One more thing I noticed in Abarth is that the car is wasting so much of its power in spinning the wheels on 1st 2nd and 3rd gears. Later i checked the tyres and they were literally bald. The Linea tjet meanwhile had brand new tyres and it had no such problem and acceleration was more like a punch in the face.

Was this a demo car? Usually when people drive TD cars, they tend to put the car through the paces. The 145 HP is enough to cause wheel spin in 1st and 2nd gear easily but in 3rd gear you need to be deliberately causing it. I've upsized to 205 from stock 195 and the cornering grip has gone up at the expense of a small mileage hit. Straight-line acceleration remains same.

Does the abarth keep wasting its power even on new tyres? Do we need to upsize immediately to utilize the power efficiently?

I would recommend an upside only to 205/50 ZR 16 Pilot Sport 4 tyres or continue with the stock. The marginal gain over other brands is not worth swapping on day 1. However the PS4 are special. I don't have the PS4 though - was planning to upgrade to those, but got my hands on another set of tyres.

[Turboaddict]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Was this a demo car? Usually when people drive TD cars, they tend to put the car through the paces. The 145 HP is enough to cause wheel spin in 1st and 2nd gear easily but in 3rd gear you need to be deliberately causing it. I've upsized to 205 from stock 195 and the cornering grip has gone up at the expense of a small mileage hit. Straight-line acceleration remains same.


I would recommend an upside only to 205/50 ZR 16 Pilot Sport 4 tyres or continue with the stock. The marginal gain over other brands is not worth swapping on day 1. However the PS4 are special. I don't have the PS4 though - was planning to upgrade to those, but got my hands on another set of tyres.

Yes it was a demo car which was in a very bad shape. The hood could not be closed due to deformation I guess, the real wheel was a steel rim, front tyres were so bald that they looked like racing slicks, had a GPS device hanging out, and the rear parcel tray was missing. That was a thoroughly abused car.

What is the kind of fuel efficiency I can expect in the city?. I plan to use it everyday. Currently driving sx4 petrol which gives me a decent 12kmpl in the city and 13 on highways. I am not too keen on driving fast all the time in the city. Might just use the boost to pass a few vehicles and stay clam. Open roads is where I plan to have fun.

[howler]

Originally Posted by Turboaddict

Hi guys,
. I had taken my colleague along with me for the test drive and we immediately decided to book 2 abarths. Also the dealer offering a massive discount and assured 2018 model from the factory inventory.
I just have one question in my mind right now - suppose fiat decides to shut down operations in India, how to we keep the car running? Are there any alternatives for spares and service?

Wow ! 2 in one shot , congrats . Would you mind sharing what the discounts they are offering are ?

[Turboaddict]

Originally Posted by howler

Wow ! 2 in one shot , congrats . Would you mind sharing what the discounts they are offering are ?

I am hesitating a bit to share discounts publicly. I can do it once I have completed the deal.

I understand that in 2015 the Indian car market was not mature enough to accept and appreciate the abarth in big numbers, but now I think fiat is losing out big time by not creating awareness.
A lot of people buying polo gt instead of normal polo. I can bet any money, 70% of the polo gt buyers won't even know abarth exists.
Just the college crowd in Blore city can revive fiat sales numbers in India, let alone the young IT motorheads.
Fiat can only blame themselves when it's too late.

[kaushal21fb]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

.. Besides, spending 24 big ones on a car for someone like me who switches cars very often is not a very wise decision

Respect your decision, however I think you sold the car rather prematurely. Fiat engines take a long time to completely open up and 3K kms is nothing. I personally own a Punto (FIRE) and Linea (MJD) and it was only around 10K kms when the cars character (engine responsiveness, FE etc.) literally changed. Before that questioned multiple times my decision to buy Fiat.

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by kaushal21fb

Respect your decision, however I think you sold the car rather prematurely. Fiat engines take a long time to completely open up and 3K kms is nothing.

I use my car very sparingly. I'm a retired recluse who goes out only once a week. It would literally take 7-10 years for any car i own to actually touch the 10k km mark. In fact i would end up selling the car way before any of these happen. I regretted selling my 2013 GT TSI and purchasing the Abarth however i do not regret my decision of selling the Abarth. To tell you the truth the first time i drove the Abarth in the city i decided that she must go. I'm really happy that i sold the Abarth.